Balance in football is a hard thing to achieve and though it may be early days for Cardiff City, Neil Warnock appears to have built a squad that ripples with a cohesive harmony. The Bluebird's attack has rightly been lauded, but the foundation of Cardiff's historic start has been an organised and aggressive defence.

Standing tall in the Bluebirds' backline has been captain Sean Morrison, who has continued to prove critics wrong. The centre-back had come under repeated fire last season, with his doubters questioning his distribution and agility, but Warnock remained loyal to his skipper and looks to have reaped the rewards.

Astonishingly, Morrison has a 100% tackling success rate so far this season, making himself indispensable. Alongside an assertive Sol Bamba - who boasts 34 clearances already, averaging just over 11 a game - Morrison has fostered a confident and reliable partnership.

One only has to mull over the fact that Bruno Manga, one of the classiest centre-backs in the league, cannot land a start in the heart of the defence to realise how good Morrison and Bamba have been.

The City back line is yet to face a discernibly potent attack, but shutting out Scott Hogan of Aston Villa and Billy Sharp of Sheffield United is no mean feat.

Whilst there were moments when the Cardiff City Stadium held its breath on Tuesday night - Sharp spurned some glorious chances - the City defence held firm and to expect Cardiff to not concede the odd chance would be unreasonable.

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On those occasions that the Blades did manage to carve out any opening and fire a shot away, Neil Etheridge was more than equal to it. The keeper never looked like conceding and was confident in coming out to meet crosses, cutting a collected figure in the City goal.

"The gaffer was massive on keeping a clean sheet and I think that's the route to winning and staying as solid as we are," Etheridge said after the match.

Etheridge will have certainly pleased the on-looking Warnock as the ex-Walsall man guarded the city net in assured fashion. Under the guidance of Warnock, Etheridge should only improve, and the Bluebirds might just have found the right replacement for David Marshall.

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The protective shield

It is not all about Morrison, Bamba and Etheridge's excellence, however. A defence needs the right men in front of them, and in Joe Ralls and Aron Gunnarsson, the Bluebirds back four have the perfect duo.

The Icelander boasts an 85% successful tackle completion and Ralls is not too far behind with 80%. The industry and graft both possess ensures that the Bluebirds defence is rarely left vulnerable. The no-nonsense nature of City's central defenders - where clearing danger is the priority - is compensated by Gunnarsson and Ralls' ability to neatly knit the side together with short and deliberate passing.

Aron Gunnarsson of Cardiff City (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

Gunnarsson's ability is evident, and has been for a long while, but Ralls, like Morrison, was also the recipient of criticism last season.

That Warnock described Ralls as a "Rolls Royce" in his post-match press conference on Tuesday night is testament to the fashion in which the academy product has ignored his detractors and assiduously worked on his craft. The 23 year-old's diligent defensive work and calm distribution means he is now an integral cog in Warnock's promotion-geared machine.

What differentiates this Cardiff team from its predecessor’s is the collective defending that Warnock demands. The whole team tracks back, presses and confronts the opposition. City's attack has, alongside scoring for fun, been the first line of defence.

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Why the defence is so important

An enlightening fact tells you all you need to know about the defensive solidity at Cardiff this season: the only player to score against the Bluebirds is, in fact, Cardiff's own Morrison in the Carabao Cup. The Bluebirds will inevitably face more dynamic attacks this season, starting with Saturday's trip to Wolves, but three clean sheets in the league certainly bodes well for the future.

Neil Etheridge of Cardiff City (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

If Cardiff are serious about promotion, a sturdy defence is mandatory. Of every Championship season since 2008/09 to 2016/17 the team, or teams, that have gained promotion have either had the best or the second best defence in the league. No one knows this more than Warnock, who's QPR side conceded just 32 goals on route to clinching the title in the 2010/11 season. Incidentally, only Middlesbrough's promotion in 2015/16 can claim a better defence that Warnock's QPR in that nine year period, conceding just one fewer goal.

It would be premature to declare Cardiff's defence the finished article, but three consecutive clean sheets will certainly give the back-line confidence and will act as proof that Warnock knows what he is doing when it comes to defending. It may not be glamorous, but a steady, consistent and competent defence is crucial to success. A trip to Molineux on Saturday to face Wolves' multi-faceted attack will be the truest test of City's defensive mettle.